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“I would be highly uncomfortable with the UK having higher environmental and welfare standards and building niche markets elsewhere in the world, and in the meantime feeding our own people on lower standard and cheaper products from overseas,” he said.

“That is not the way to engage our own citizens with sustainable food production and land management.”

Another Kiwi export.... Hemi Taylor, the first New Zealander to be capped by Wales, is now a beef and sheep farmer in Ceredigion (Image: Jonathan Myers)

New Zealand eyes up beef exports

In reality New Zealand is unlikely to increase sheepmeat shipments to the UK – its current EU quota is already under-utilised.

However imports from New Zealand helps to balance supply and demand in the UK, as domestic demand peaks during periods when supply is at its lowest.

Instead it is the beef sector which may see more competition from New Zealand, one of the world’s largest exporters.